Process of cooling or condensing fluids.



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vPROGESS 40F CDULING AND GDINDENSING FLUIDS.

V(Applicmm med nu. 22, 1900.)

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.IOI'IN BALLARD MILLER, OF CI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FRANCIS YV. PARKER, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF COOLING On cONnENslNe Frulpsf.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 671.221, dated April 2, 190i.

Application filed Mmh 22,1900. serial No. 9.667, (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern: p reservoir A. `This expanding device may be Beit known tha-tI, JOHN BALLARD MILLER, of any desired construction and may consist a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Chiof an engine or other energy-producing or cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illisteamusing device. As illustrated in lthis 5'5 nois, have invented a certain new and useful figure, this expander consists of a series of Improvement in Processes of Cooling or Conpipes C, increasing in diameter, the number (lensing Fluids, of which the following is a and size of the pipes depending upon the conspecification. ditions to be inet-such, for example, as the My invention relates to a process of cooltemperature of the steam and the like. 6o 1o ing or condensing various uids, and has for The reservoir A is preferably considerably its object to provide a new and improved proc; greater in cross-sectional area than the coness of that description. nection leading from the source of steam-sup Iliaveillustratedinthe accompanyingdrawply, so that the steam as it enters the reserings one means of carrying out my process. voir is expanded. This reservoir contains a 65 Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic View of series of pipesior other passage-ways placed one form of apparatus. Fig. 2is a side view therein, so as to provide a comparatively of. the reservoir shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a large surface-area with which the steam comes section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a View into contact. Any form or arrangement of of the reservoir shown in Fig. 1, with a modithe pipes or passage-Ways may be utilized. 7o zo lied construction for mixing vapor with the I have illustrated the reservoir as provided air passed through the reservoir. Fig. 5 is a with a series of pipes D placed side by side, side view of Fig. 4. f each pipe being connected with an opening Like letters refer to like parts throughout E at the upper end of the reservoir and with the several figures. the opening F at the lower rend of the reser- 75 For purposes of explanation I will illusvoir. There is also a second series of pipes trate and describe my invention in connec- G, which are connected with similar openings tion with steam; but it is of course evident in the reservoir on the opposite side. Some that this invention has various applications, suitable means is provided for moving a curwhich will readily occur to those versed in rent of air through the pipes D and G and 8o 3o the art, and I therefore do not limit myself of also mixing with this air a suitable quanin this particular. tity of vapor, so that the mixture of air and In using my invention in connection with` vapor will pass through the pipes. Anysuitsteam I prefer to expand the steam and then able means for this purpose may be used. to pass through it amixture of vapor and air As shown, for example, in Fig. 1, I provide 85 or other gas, said mixture being separated one or more small openings D G at. the upfrom the steam bya suitableinterveningheat per end of each of the pipes D and G, so that conductingsubstance. Ihave found that this a smallquantity of steam from the reservoir mixture of vapor and airor other gas lowers `A may pass into said pipes and mix with the the temperature of the tluid acted upon, and air entering through the openings E. Some 9o 4o when this fluid is steam it is condensed into suitable means `is provided for passing the water. y air, or rather the mixture of air and vapor, Referring now to Fig. 1, wherein I have through these pipes. I prefer to provide shown diagrammatically a simple apparatus` some construction at the exit or lower endof by means of which my process may be carthe pipes D and G, so as to draw the air 95 ried out, I provide a suitable compartment through, as this drawing of the air tends to or reservoir A of the desired cross-sectional more or less relieve the pressure and expand area, said reservoir being connected by suitthe mixed air and vapor and aids the procable connections with a source of supply B. ess or increases its efficiency'. Any suitable I prefer to interpose in this connection a suitair-moving device may be used-such, for ex 10o 5o able expanding device, which expands the ample, asa pump, fan,or thelike. As-shown steam to a certain degree 'before it enters the in Fig. 1, the air-moving device consists of an ejector which is connected with the ends of the pipes. In the present instance tWoof these ejectors are used and are operated by means of,steam from the source of supply, the steam being conveyed by means of the pipes H to the ejectors I. These ejector-s may be of any of the ordinary forms and I have not shown them in detail. I have illusu trated one of the simplest constructions for this purpose, which consists in simply connecting the pipes H with the pipe H', leading from the casing J. It Will be seen that the steam passing through the pipes H tends to draw the mixture of air and vapor along with it, thus producing a circulation through the pipes D and G. The openings F, or, more properly speaking, the ends of the pipes D and G, are inclosed by a suit-able casing J, and the ejectors are connected to this casing, so that one ejector is connected with the series of pipes D and the other with the series ot' pipes G. The steam as it condenses drops to the bottom of the reservoir A and is carried away to the point desired by means of a suitable pipe or the like K.

Instead of having the vapor enter the pipes D and G from the reservoir A through the openings D' G', I may insert it in said pipes or mix it with the air in any other desired manner. For example, I may provide a tube L or other device, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5,

-Which is connected with any source of steamsupply and which passes along the face of the reservoir opposite the open ends of the pipes.

D, a similar device being located opposite the open ends of t-he pipes G. This tube is provided with a small opening L' opposite the mouth of each pipe, so that a small amount of steam may be forced into the pipe. These openings of course Will be small, and their size Will depend upon the conditions under which the device is operated, and I have not tried to show the exact dimensions in the drawings.

Instead of connecting the tube L With a source of steam-supply I may connect it with a source of Water-supply, so that a small quantity of Water Will be forced through the openings L' into the mouths of the pipesD and G. As these pipes Will be warm when the device is in use, this Water will be converted into vapor and will mix with the air, so as to produce the desired result. In many instances it would be preferable to usel Water instead of steam in the tube I. I may also use the Water-sprayin g apparatus in connection with the device for mixing steam-with the air in the pipes D and G-as, for example, by using the tube L, connected with a source of water-supply, in connection With the construction shown in Fig. l, or arranging the parts in any other desired manner. These variations and the different sources of vapor-supply7 and the different Ways of mixing vapor With the air going through the pipes D and G will of course depend upon the conditions to be met 1n any given case.

I have shown in detail a simple construction by means of Which my process may be carried out; but it is of course evident that various apparatus for this purpose maybe used, and I therefore do not limit myself in any particular to or by the means I have herein illustrated and described.

I have found that when the steam is ex panded in the reservoir A and the mixture of air and vapor is passed through the pipes D and G the steam on coming in contact with said pipes is rapidly condensed and an eiiicieut, cheap, durable, and highly satisfactory means of condensing the same is obtained.

As my device maybe used in many dierent Ways, I have illustrated it diagranllnatically in Fig. 1. rlhe source of supply of the fluid kto be cooled or condensed is of course immaterial, vas it is only necessary to conduct this [luid to the reservoir and pass it therethrough, so that it comes into contact with the pipes through which the rapidly-owing current of mixed air and vapor passes. When the huid, cooled or condensed, is some tiuid other than steam, the small openings D G in the tubes D and G are not used, but the vapor to be mixed with the air passed through rthe tubes D and Gis obtained from some suitable outside source, as shown, for example, in Figs. 5 and 6.

In the operation of my invention it is necessary that the vapor in the mixture passed through the tubes'D and G shall be water in a gaseous state as distinguished from Water in a liquid state and that this vapor shall be below the temperature of steam at atmospheric pressure. I use the term vapor in the description and claims With this meaning.

I claim- 1. The process of cooling or condensing fluids, which consists in forming a mixture of air and vapor and passing 'this mixture in a rapidly-flowingcurrent through suitable 'contining devices", and simultaneously bringing the Huid to be cooled or condensed into contact with said confining devices.

2. T he process of cooling or condensing fluids, which consists in form-ing a mixture of air and vapor and passing this mixture in a rapidly-dowing current through suitable conining devices and expanding the Iiuid to be cooled or condensed, and simultaneously bringing it into contact with said confining devices.

JOHN BALLARD MILLER.

Witnesses:

A. H. BOWEN, Jr., HoMER L. KRAFT.

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